How does Xi Jinping’s United Front Work Department influence Taiwan’s democracy on the ground? This episode of “Broken News” investigates the case of China’s influence on Taiwan’s grassroots communities through “lizhang,” or community leaders, and religious “cultural exchanges” between temples in Taiwan and China. Dive into a fascinating story of how China attempts to sow the seeds of manipulation at the roots of Taiwanese society through the promotion of cultural exchanges focused on the faith in Mazu and the influence of community leaders or lizhang. The story centers around the work of the Taiwan Affairs office in Beijing, China that works to execute General Secretary Xi Jinping’s orders for Taiwan-China unification. The manipulation of religion, politics, culture, and China's methods to influence grassroots democracy in Taiwan collide in an explosion of political intrigue. Through interviews with key figures including lizhang, politicians and academics, the team discover a coordinated effort by China on the ground and online that weaves together to try to undermine Taiwanese democracy at its very core. As a reckoning within Taiwanese society looms, some people view these exchanges purely on a cultural and religious level, while others view these exchanges as a vector of attack by the Chinese government on Taiwanese society. At the heart of the story are questions surrounding freedom of religion, travel and speech, as well as trust that their leaders and politicians will remain true to their country and not lead their compatriots astray. How do these Chinese campaigns amongst grassroots leaders affect people’s views on democracy in Taiwan, and what do they mean for Taiwan’s democracy as a whole? Discover a unique story of religious freedom, politics and cross-strait relations in this groundbreaking episode of “Broken News.”

• Cross-Strait Relations
• General
• Politician